


The Lover And The Beloved

by Howdareyouaskingformyname



Category: La casa de papel | Money Heist (TV)
Genre: AU, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Berlermo, Berlin live, F/M, First Kiss, How Do I Tag, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, It's martin we're talking about, M/M, Please be nice, Well ofc, because i won't write martin forgiving berlin so fast, but hey, first fic, slowburn, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:54:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23564122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Howdareyouaskingformyname/pseuds/Howdareyouaskingformyname
Summary: Season 3 and 4 but berlin is here and he is not as straight as he thought he was.________Please be nice, it's my first time at writing anything.WARNING: Might be ooc (it's surely going to be but hey, don't care), English is not my first language (i learned it while reading fanfic), It won't be consistent update (I know it won't be)Decided to write it because of the lack of this ship in the fandom (I've read EVERY berlermo fanfic out there at least four time). So I hope you still appreciate it ! (b -v-)b(don't forget to read the tags! ) \(0v0)/
Relationships: Berlin | Andrés de Fonollosa/Palermo | Martín, Bogotá/Nairobi | Ágata Jiménez, Raquel Murillo/Professor | Sergio Marquina
Comments: 59
Kudos: 233





	1. Chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, thank u for starting to read my fic ! I hope you'll like it ! If not, well i take constructive criticism ! So have a good reading session !

The sun was slowly descending through the horizon as the man looked at it on the beach of the oriental country, so far away of the problems of the world and the police who would have given anything to find him and his brother. Tokyo then approached him.

  
“Berlin. Happy you’re not dead yet,” he glanced in her direction to see a malicious smirk “but I thought you were sick or something, only months to live, ya’know?” This time it was Berlin's turn to smile.

“It seems like the doctors were mistaken actually, very unfortunate as I was really ready to die a hero back there.”

“I don’t doubt it but I’m still happy for the prof that Helsinski had the time to grab you before blowing up the tunnel.”

He didn’t respond and continued to watch silently as the light faded. That day was a blurry mess, he remembered the sound of the shots of the guns of the police and of their own weapons, the face of the woman he foolishly thought he loved and loved him, his conversation with Sergio that he imagined would be his last and the arms of Helsinski who swore to not let anyone else die.

  
“So, Rio?” He asked knowingly “He got caught?” Her face fell from a soft smile to an angered frown.

“Yes,” she looked at her feet “and it was my fault. I couldn’t content myself with a perfect man on a perfect island just the two of us…” Berlin’s face was unreadable, then he smiled, showing his teeth.

“It’s not your fault Tokyo, you’re not made to stay at one place eternally, you are a fire” He turned to face her “You need more things, to experience, to travel, to feel. You can’t stay put and expect to feel full. You need more.”

Since the end of the heist, they all felt closer to each other. Away from the constant stress and anxiety, they almost could be called a family. He himself got slightly wiser, not enough in his brother opinion but, hey can’t have everything in life!

His expression returned to a serious frown “Even if what you’ve done was stupid, the band is going to help you, I promise.’’ Tokyo looked in the eyes of the man who delivered her to the police without hesitation and scoffed.

“Yeah, of course I trust you without second thought!”

“I’m serious, we had our differences yes, and if the situation was repeating I would still do it again, send you to the police I mean,” a falsy outraged smile broke on Tokyo’s face as Berlin continued with serious eyes “but only because I’ll know that the professor is going to save you again. None of us is going to leave Rio behind, I assure you.”

They looked into each other eyes and Tokyo saw that he wasn’t lying, that he wouldn’t lie to his family, his new and criminal family. She smiled.

“Well, we should go back or the inspector is going to ground us” Berlin’s face lighten up and he laughed “I know, she already did multiple time with me and Sergio, a true fury!”

“Let’s not give her a reason to do it again then!” And on those wise words the two criminals returned to the house, where a warm meal awaited them.

___

The next week was a happy one, everyone was here now, reunited by the professor, Nairobi with Helsinski, Denver, Monica and their little boy Cincinnati.

Around the table, they laughed and shared their stories of the previous years away from each other, until Denver asked the question “So why are we all here prof?”

Sergio’s face who was smiling until then returned to a serious expression “Rio was caught. Tokyo left him and they used a satellite phone. The vendor surely sold them to the police. He need our help”

Denver eyes filled with anger in an instant “Holy fuck!” he got up from his chair and start pacing behind the others “Are you serious?! I won’t risk everything because Rio and Tokyo weren’t careful”

Monica tried to calm him, calling his name and putting her hand on his arm, finally making him go immobile but still boiling.

“Denver, who was there, taking care of you father when he was on verge of death?” Berlin spoke up with his eternal smirk on his face, taking a glass of wine. “Who was there when Nairobi had delayed the stop of the machine to buy time? Who was there when they almost got the car when Helsinski didn’t destroyed it like Sergio asked? It was the team, always each other who helped each other. Today it’s Rio who need our help.” During the tirade of Berlin, Denver had sat back on his chair, feeling guilty.

“I understand what you want to protect,” he glanced at Monica “who you want to protect. But our brother-in-arm need us now and we have to help him, they’re surely torturing him in a country with an unpronounceable name just to get to us.”

The eyes of everyone shined with a newfound determination. “What’s the plan then?” asked the previously angered man.

The professor readjusted his glasses while smiling at the criminals seated at the tables. “We are going to steal their gold”.

At this Berlin’s face lit up with a smile. The professor grinned in the direction of his brother while glancing at his watch “And I’ll give you every details tomorrow as it is already quite late.” Everyone started to say goodnight to each other with a new excitement when Berlin asked in a whisper his brother.

“You mean my plan?” “I mean the plan of you and Martin.” Berlin face became unreadable as Sergio’s hand fell on the shoulder of the older. “It’s going to be alright I’m sure.” The other gave a sad smile to his younger brother “But isn’t it too late?” On those words he got back to his room, leaving a thoughtful Sergio alone with Raquel.

___

The sun was high in the sky and the temperature already over the forty degrees Celsius when everyone awoke.

The professor was up before all of them and was waiting, the breakfast ready for them to come and eat, to explain what was going to happen.

Slowly, the band arrived to eat, still sleepy from the night they passed. Sergio smiled and greeted them with enthusiasm “Hello, everyone! I hope you are all well, we have preparations to make.”

Tokyo looked at him unfazed “What kind? I thought you just had a plan ready to be executed?”

“Actually it is not mine, it is Berlin’s” Tokyo’s eyes then fixed the other man who was drinking his coffee, not paying attention to the others who started to look at him. When he finished his drink he smiled and put back his cup.

“It’s not only mine, but my collaborator is not our dear professor” a mysterious smile appeared on his face.

“And I think you all guessed what we’re going to do first! Come on, we must prepare the travel” the others smiled and nodded. As they started to get up Nairobi approached Tokyo.

“Hey girl, who do you think it could be? I’m pretty curious to be honest, Berlin seemed pretty fond of them” and it’s true, Tokyo saw it too, this soft glint in his eyes.

“Someone he likes very much, if you know what I mean...” She winked at the taller woman who started laughing. The day passed as they all took their things to a small boat, all ready to depart at the end of the day. They were chatting when the professor started asking for their attention.

“So everyone, the friend of Berlin is in Sicilia, more precisely near Palermo, they don’t know we are coming so when me and Berlin are going to get them I will expect you all to go back into international water to wait for us. We will decide on an hour for you to bring us there and to fetch us back. I will repeat those instructions when we will be there but I want the questions now and not when we will be near the coast.”

Before Tokyo or Nairobi could say anything, Helsinski raised his hand “So, what’re they like?” the professor suddenly felt like a teacher who had to introduce a new student before he was even there so he made a hand gesture to Berlin for him to answer.

"Well, his name is Martin and it’s all you will know before meeting him” the man smiled maliciously at the others who, or echoed his smile or just scoffed.

As the sun started to set, everyone got on the small boat, the last ones being Tokyo and Berlin “So,” the man continued to look in the direction of the ocean when the tinier woman made her presence know “You like him?” Tokyo asked.

The reaction of her friend was curious to say the least: he turned abruptly, almost falling, as an outraged expression appeared on his face.

The smaller woman smiled “I got my answer” She climbed quickly on the boat, leaving a dumbfounded Berlin on the dock.

After a few week on the sea, they finally approached the island. Tokyo remarked during the trip that Berlin seemed less sure each day as they grew closer to his supposedly friend, it wasn’t easy to see but the frown on his face was a good indicator as it was long gone during his short retirement accordingly to Raquel with whom she talked with about it.

They accosted on an old and abandoned dock, near a small rocky cliff. When the professor was going to get off the boat, Tokyo put her hand on his shoulder and whispered to him “Berlin don’t seem well with the idea to meet with his friend, that’s normal?” the professor flashed a quick glance at his brother already on land and distracted by the view and sighed.

“I know something happened but I don’t know what exactly. I will have to ask Martin directly but it is going to be okay, they always been best friends, the kind that would do anything for the other.” He added a small reassuring smile before Tokyo took back her hand, she didn’t know what would happen there but she hoped everything would be alright.


	2. Chapter two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello ! I hope you liked the first chapter and that you'll like this one too ! Good reading session to you !
> 
> ( Palermo is here yaaay)\\(* v * )/

Berlin wasn’t the kind of man to regret or even face his errors, he was the kind of man to always look forward no matter what, never feeling guilty, never feeling at fault, never relenting his past. But here he was today, about to face his worse mistake. He never tried to think about it because it just hurted so much yet he didn’t dare imagine how it felt for him. The best thing to happen to him and he throw it out the window in an instant just because he was a coward, whatever he tried to prove to martin that night was just him being a hypocrite. How could he stand himself after what happened, he didn’t know.

He came back from his thoughts when his dear little brother softly shook his shoulder; it was time he guessed. He lift up his hand, wanting to knock on the old wooden door, but stopped midway, still unsure. It’s Sergio who had to make their presence know, letting a disproving sigh out to show what he thought of the hesitation of his half brother. 

How can he speak without making a sound? As he asked himself when the younger man could have learned this silent language the door started to open and Berlin got still by what he saw.

This wasn’t his martin, it couldn't be: his usually styled hair were messier than when he would just wake up all those years ago at the monastery, the tank top he wore seemed old with non-identifiable spots that could have been due to food, alcohol or puke, he couldn’t know. He also wore an old sweatpants, who surely was in a good shape in another life, and a red dressing gown. 

The shoulder part fell revealing too pale skin, echoing the pale and dumbstruck face who greeted him and Sergio. After a moment who felt like years but was definitely just second, the surprised look on Martin face fell and was replaced with cold anger. 

He tried to slam the door shut but Berlin's foot painfully prevented him from doing so. For a second, Berlin was sure that the instant look of guilt on Martin’s face would lead to immediate apologies but a second before the words slipped out Martin gritted his teeth and reopened the door, seeing Sergio for the first time since opening the entrance. “Sergio! It’s been too long! How are you?” He asked with a big smile on his face and ignoring the other man. “Come on in! Don’t wait outside, I’ll fetch a drink or something” He stepped back into his place, leaving the door open for the brothers to enter. The two of them looked into each other eyes and Sergio simply arched a brow at his brother as said brother glanced away, the both of them then entered.  
The place was… messy, to say the least. In accordance to Martin appearance, Sergio would point, but he wouldn’t. There was bottles of all kinds of alcohol everywhere, forming true mountains, paper scattered across the floor like they were the floor and marks across the wall he didn’t want to know the origin. 

Martin was seated on the only chair where there wasn’t junk on, sipping loudly on a glass of water, glancing back and forth between Berlin and the nothingness. After there wasn’t anything to sip on anymore he put the glass back on the table “So,” he got up from his chair, turning toward Berlin, “what do you want? Aren’t you rich? Want me to congratulate you maybe?” As Sergio started to open his mouth, expecting his brother to stay silent, Berlin spoke up. 

“Martin…” This simple name, this tiny word made martin flinch, it was said with so much pain and regret, it was the first time Berlin spoke with a voice like that and it surprised all the men present.

“Andrès…” The angered eyes of martin softened in an instant and in hurried steps they both were in front of each other, only centimeters separating them. As it happened, Sergio decided that he didn’t want to see what would unwind from their interactions and got out to not witness something and violating the privacy of the other two.

The two other continued to look into the other eyes ignoring the sound of the door opening and closing. “why?” the question was whispered with such despair and fear, as if Andrès would just laugh and tell him he hated him from the beginning, as if all those years were just pity and nothing else.   
“Because,” Andrès swallowed, “I was a coward, foolish enough to not see.”

“Not see what?” It was now hope in his voice, a stupid, idiotic hope who had already crushed him so many time before.

“See you, see us, together,” Andrès raised his hand, slowly stroking the already wet cheek of Martin, “what we could have been, what we should have been for so long.” The other man started sobbing, shaking slightly in the arms of Andrès who were already encircling his too thin body.

“How could I ever apology to you? I don’t deserve your forgiveness, Martin. I’ll never stop being sorry” Andrès started put kisses all over the other’s forehead as Martin started to sob louder and grab Andrès’s back. 

Here they were, in the arms of one another, not even ten minutes with him and voila. When the soft cries of Martin started to fade, they separated slightly, just enough to see the other man’s eyes. And when Andrès looked into the bluest eyes he ever seen he didn’t distinguish a flashing anger and hatred but a calm sea, not devoid of rage, mind you, but soft enough to not show it too much. Those eyes were really his favorite…

“You left me,” Martin snarled, “you left me for her.” Despaired anger reappeared on his face as the lean hand of Andrès cupped his face lovingly. “And it was my greatest mistake, nothing would have been worse, nothing.” Martin became thoughtful, his eyes sad “Really? You really think so?” “I don’t think so, I’m sure of it, and I’m so sorry” and then he kissed him, softly, like he would break him if he did harder. A surprised moan escaped Martin as he let himself be kissed, closing his eyes, for a few minutes. It was so different than the kiss of that night, so less violent, so less hungry, but still full of the same love there was all those years ago.

When the air started to lack, Martin soft hand grabbed and took away the thin wrists holding his face and started to back away from Andrès. 

“I’m still mad.”

“I know, I’m sorry”

“I’ll stay mad a long, long time.”

“It okay, I deserve it” Martin fell silent at the sincerity in Andrès tone before speaking up again.

“So there will be rules because it can't just happen like nothing did three years ago.”

“Of course” The immediate response of Andrès warmed his heart an instant before he remembered he had to stay mad.

“So first, no touching or kissing or thing like that for a while. Okay?” Berlin almost winced at the very first rule, it won’t be easy. 

“To what extent?” The question made Martin paused, 

“Hum… You only have the right to do to me what you would do to Sergio. Clear enough?” Andrès grinned.

“Affirmative.” Martin smiled too. It finally started to feel nice.

“So second rule… You can’t be jealous. No wait, uh, you can’t complain when I’m more with other people than you.”  
“Okay” It really won’t be easy...

“And last rule… I have the right to do whatever I want with them, like adding more or remove some… Alright?” Andrès put a hand on Martin’s hair, starting to stroke them while humming his agreement. Martin’s eyes fixed the passionate glare that Andrès was giving him, his mind elsewhere, in a world of his own.

“So,” Martin broke the peaceful trance as he asked the other man, “why are you here?” As he spoke, he freed the hands of Andrès, backing a few steps away from him, still looking into the other’s eyes. “It’s not only for my pretty eyes, isn’t it?”

“We’re going to melt the gold,” Martin’s eyes started to grow wide with unashamed excitement, “and I won’t do it without my engineer.”

“Then what are we waiting?” Andrès started humming.

“For you to prepare yourself, we go the moment you’re ready,” he turned toward the door, “I'll wait outside with Sergio!”

As he said that, Andrès exited the place, joining his brother who was just next to the previously closed door and checking the hour with his watch. “Can I ask what happened the last time you saw each other or you still don’t want to tell me?” Andrès turned to his brother, a sad smile drawn on his face “I made a mistake, a stupid one. I was a coward and because of that I broke both our heart thinking we would heal over time, but I was wrong. When you meet your soulmate and they leave you, you can’t heal. It continue to hurt until you realize with who you’ll finally be truly happy.” Sergio glared at his brother, an unreadable expression on his face.

After a moment Martin got out with a small bag and keys, closing the door and locking it, hiding the keys in the dirt of the potted plant just on the other side of the door. As he turned to the brother, Andrès remarked he seemed much better. He just showered, combing his still wet hair and putting nicer clothes that suited him way better rejuvenated him a few years but he still had an exhausted look in his eyes assuredly due to the same reason he had bags beneath them. However the smile he harbored was as brilliant as the sun, handsome, superb, perfect, his beautiful sun.

After a moment Martin got out with a small bag and keys, closing the door and locking it, hiding the keys in the dirt of the potted plant just on the other side of the door. As he turned to the brother, Andrès remarked he seemed much better. He just showered, combing his still wet hair and putting nicer clothes that suited him way better rejuvenated him a few years but he still had an exhausted look in his eyes assuredly due to the same reason he had bags beneath them. However the smile he harbored was as brilliant as the sun, handsome, superb, perfect, his beautiful sun.

“Let’s go, boys! It’s finally time we go melt some gold!” The excitement of Martin seemed contagious, as The two brothers echoed his wide smile. “It’s right, but first we need to prepare appropriately, still has your contacts?” Sergio asked, Martin nodded and he took a small book out of his bag.

“Everything is inside, I’ll call them on the way.” Sergio agreed and started to walk back in the direction to the dock where the others should pick them up, the two other men following him.

The sun was setting when finally Tokyo and the other arrived to the dock, her friends already there and waiting. She saw a third figure in the growing obscurity behind Berlin, slightly smaller than her friend. He wore a black turtleneck with a leather jacket and skinny jeans, and he was on the phone speaking to someone. As the boat approached she started to discern what the man was saying.

“Yes, the old monastery… Yes the one of the fifth marriage of Andres… Yes, could you call him too for me? We reunite in a week… I’ll send you the coordonates for where to fetch us… We’re- Hey Sergio how many of us there are again?” As Martin asked Sergio, Andrès remarked the approaching boat and started smiling and waving in it’s direction. 

“Well we are nine, and with the other two, eleven” Martin smiled and thanked him, continuing to speak to the person on the other side of the phone. He finished the call and pocketed the phone as the boat maneuvered to let the men on the dock get in.

Tokyo smiled as Berlin helped his friend climb on the boat. “Tokyo, I would like to present you my dear friend and talented engineer, Martin.” As said martin extended a hand to greet the woman, she made a disapproving noise. “You’ll need another name, mister engineer, already an idea?” the newcomer smiled before replying.

“You can call me Palermo.”


	3. Chapter three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the third chapter, I hope you'll like it ! I already have planned out where I want to go with the future chapters, I just have to write them now, so I hope you have a good day and don't forget to not hesitate to comment ! (^w0)/

The sky was gray, the sun nowhere in sight and few droplets of water were already falling on the windows of the cars approaching the old monastery so full of memories. The newly named Palermo was seating between Bogota and Marsella, and even if they were old friends, he knew they wouldn’t talk a lot during the travel to their future temporary living place. His eyes started drifting slowly from the outside of the car toward the man seated next to Sergio who was driving, Andrès.

He was going to have to get used to calling him Berlin now, even if the authorities knew him and everyone was aware of his name, Martin thought that it would just be better if he stopped calling him by his name.

While his mind was elsewhere, he wondered what were the changes Sergio would make to their plan, would he even be a part of it? Now that he thought about it, he was almost always drunk the past three years, the only lucid moments he had were filled with self loathing. And he must have truly looked terrible because his neighbors checked almost every week. As his thoughts returned to that not so far away past, his finger softly traced the now healed thin lines hidden on his wrist. Maybe its because of them that he never actually tried to…

Nope, not the right time to think of that.

As the minutes passed, Martin’s mind started to concentrate again on his friend.  
During the whole week on the boat to come here, Andrès was nothing but nice and sweet, remembering the limits he fixed him. Martin appreciated it a lot but he still missed the moments when they still planned together their heist on the bank, when his friend would just come up and hug him, or just putting his hand on his shoulder, giving him the motivation to continue.

Without realizing the car stopped and it took the soft tone of Andrès to bring his wandering thought back to the present.

“Ready to enter?” Berlin asked. 

Palermo smiled, a glint in his eyes “Always.”

They got out of the car and strangely enough, his body has gone rigid as he saw the old religious building. Berlin turned to him and smiled.

“This time I promise, we’re going to finish what we started” at this, the tense shoulder he didn’t remember having relaxed as the hand of Berlin raised itself at the level of his own.

Berlin’s look in his eyes were enough of a question as he took his friend’s hand in his.

Martin followed Berlin inside the monastery, as they were the last ones to get out of the cars they were alone until they got inside. Martin opened his hand, expecting Andrès to release it, but the other man only gave him a smirk and a glance.

“Your hands are way too cold for me to drop them without feeling guilty, I’ll keep this one in mine until it’s warm enough” Martin couldn’t help the light blush to creep on his face, he perfectly could have put them in his coat’s pocket to keep away the cold, and Andrès knew that.

The man continued to walk, his best oblivious expression on his face as Martin blushed a little and grumbled a little, without any true annoyance.

Once they arrived, Berlin finally let his hand free and effectively, it was warm again. But a soft breeze coming from outside made him realized the warm that creeped up on his face surely at the same time his hand got warmed up.

After a few minutes everyone was seated, Tokyo, Helsinski, Denver and Monica near the front while Nairobi, Bogota and Marsella were behind him and Berlin. They were at the same level and through the introductions of Sergio, Martin didn't stop giving glances in the direction of Andrès who did the same. 

Only, both were unaware of the attention the other was giving them.

It drove Nairobi and Bogota insane, but after a dozen minutes they started snickering while making bets, finding the situation a bit more funny than annoying.

Soon the sun was setting, the light diminishing through the little window.

“Well I think it’ll be enough for today everyone, so who want to eat?” The professor smiled, remembering the moments he passed with his band when they prepared his own heist, when they complained they were hungry after few hours of class.

Everyone cheered and started to stand up and as Martin got up a small thing rushed past him, shoving his legs on the way, enough for him to stumble. 

He thought he was going to fall face first on the ground, letting curses under his breath against the tiny gremlin who he finally recognized as the son of Estocolmo and Denver.

But when he felt himself grabbed by the waist he reopened his eyes only to find Helsinski helping him back on his feet.

“You alright Palermo?” he asked with a strange softness and worry that didn’t echoed his appearance in the slightest. Martin smiled.

“Yes, thanks to you big guy” He spotted Berlin on the side, an unreadable expression on his face. He approached and asked too.

“Are you really alright?”

“Yes I assure you, I just tripped a little but Helsinski helped me not face planting on the ground.” Martin gave Andrès a glare as the man started to walk back innocently toward the exit to join the others. He sighed and started to do the same, the serbian just behind, following him.

After everyone was seated, they all started to eat the dishes they all prepared, some more well executed than other, he thought as he looked in the direction of what should have been meat but had ended up as coal. He denied being at the origin of the catastrophe of course, letting a poor denying Bogota suffer the good hearted complains and advices of the others.

After their stomachs were as full as their spirits were high, Denver got a bottle of tequila from god’s know where and proposed some more alcohol since Cincinnati was finally tucked to bed. Martin, like the other, accepted. And as the younger man served him a shot of the precious liquid… 

He remembered hazy figures and a prickle in his eyes, also the sensation of falling on a hard place and pain in his nose.

And then he woke up.

He didn’t open his eyes right away, opting instead for growling in pain because of a terrible headache and a feeling of sharp pain in his nose.

And then it hit him, the heavy sensation of a pair of arm around him, keeping him close to a soft heartbeat. He sighed and snuggled further in the warm crook of the neck of the person in the bed with him. 

Then he realized, he didn’t know who the fuck it was.

He finally decided without any good will to back away a little and open his eyes, only hoping it wouldn’t be Bogota or something.

But then he saw the soft face in front of him, peaceful and beautiful, ray of sunlight hugging the perfect shape of his jaw.

Martin was truly in awe in front of the sleeping man, until the moment he tried to move.

Each movements he made, the sleeping Berlin interpreted it as if something was trying to steal his precious treasure from him and, really, he wouldn’t let that happen.

Martin tried again but the only response he got was the face of a still perfectly and peacefully asleep Andrès in the crook of his neck, inhaling deeply only to let out a simple pleased sigh.

Martin blushed hard at this but he decided he wanted aspirin more than the affection of the sleeping man at the moment, so he tried to shook slowly the shoulder of Andrès.

The man growled and pushed further in the crook of the neck of martin, fleeing the light and the sound that tried to take him from the sweet slumber.

“Goddammit Andrès, I’m warning you, if you don’t let me go this instant I’m banishing you from my room until the end of times.”

At that Andrès finally started to stir from his sleep, slowly backing away from Martin warm embrace while keeping a loose arm around his friend.

“Hello beautiful” greeted Berlin with a fond smile that quickly disappeared as he looked at martin with a newfound expression of worry. 

“What happened to your nose?” He quickly sat up, making his bed partner do the same.

He started examine it in the morning light, gently touching around the swollen area.

“I don’t think it’s broken but it still bled.”, he looked more closely at the side of the face where martin was laying.

“What do you mean” Andrès’s fast glances at the pillow Martin used made him look himself, and what he saw was the biggest stains of blood he had made from his nose in a while.

“Well, is it able to be salvaged?” he looked back at Berlin’s now pensive face.

“Maybe… I’ll have to ask Sergio if he remember any tips for stains like that, for now let’s get you cleaned up” he got out of the bed, guiding a still strangely exhausted martin behind him.

At least, both of them were still fully clothed minus for their jackets. 

As they crept to the communal bathroom they saw a shit-faced Bogota, who seemed still not entirely woken up washing his teeth slowly. When he saw him and Andrès his eyes started to grow wide before realizing he wasn’t hurt too bad.

“Hey Bogota,” he greeted as Berlin was wetting a towel, “do you remember what happened last night?” 

Bogota spit up in the sink he was using before making a sly grin “Oh? Because you don’t remember how you fell at the game?”

“What game?” He really should stop drinking.

“Well yeah, the dancing game” The smile on the man’s face only grew wider.

He decided that he was going to stop drinking from now on. 

“Something else happened?” he asked again as Andrès slowly started to clean up his face without hesitating, like when a mother would just come up to you and take off the dirt from your face with her finger and saliva.

Well in the present case it was the man he loved and a wet towel so he wouldn’t complain.

Bogota looked at them before answering “Not that I remember, but I also drank a lot, I just remember the beginning you know.” at this he took back his toiletries and exited the room.

Martin sighed, waiting for Andrès to finish. The feeling of a cold towel on his face was divine, closing his eyes to fully appreciate it he perceived a small chuckle from his friend.

After what felt like years but were in fact only few minutes, Andrès rinsed down one last time the towel.

“There, all cleaned up!” He smiled as he hanged the cloth to let it dry up. “Let’s go eat something”

“And take an aspirin because this headache is killing me” Martin brought up a hand toward his face, rubbing slightly his eyes and forehead before following Berlin out of the room.

They quickly arrived at a table, a delicious smell guiding them through the corridors of the building, where almost everyone was present.

The professor was seated close to Raquel, silently eating while his girlfriend was chatting with Tokyo and Nairobi about some old police stories. Next to them Monica was helping Cincinnati eating waffles as he tried to hide from Marsella, seated across from him and his mother and reading the journal.

Martin giggled a little at the contrite face his already seated friend was making. He decided he was going to help him a little since because of the shy attitude of the child, and the severe appearance of Marsella, he wouldn’t eat and would just hide in the neck of his mother who tried to reassure him..

“Hey kid, does uncle Marsella scare you a little?” he asked the little guy who slowly turned to him to nod.

“Well you shouldn’t you know, because let me tell you a secret!” He approached the child who started to get more curious than frightened.

“Uncle Marsella is a magician!” The eyes of the said magician grew comically wide as the ones of the little boys started to shine with excitement.

“Really?” the child asked with his little voice full of awe.

“Of course! You see the little animal he always keep with him? It’s a ferret, and he can speak to it!”

“Her name is Sophia.” He said, insisting on the pronouns of the ferret.

“See? How could he know her name without asking her?” Martin’s smile grew wider as the kid looked at Marsella like he hung the sun and without questioning the logic of Marin who made perfect sense to him.

Marsella’s face had an embarrassed expression, but he still nodded shortly. At this the little kid took a breath, clearly impressed.

“You know, I’m sure he could teach you if you were a really good boy, you know?”

“Really??” Marsella looked at the pleading face of Monica before nodding again.

At this the child looked happily at his mother who smiled and started to feed him again, this time willing to eat.

Martin too decided he should start eating, taking some toast and coffee.

“Hey Marsella, remember anything from yesterday?” the man looked at him few second before making a silent no with his head.

“But I think Tokyo can help you” Martin turned to Tokyo who remarked the newfound attention. 

“What is it?” she demanded him.

“I don’t remember a single thing from last night and I would like to know why my nose is in this state” Tokyo took out a small phone as a mischievous smile crept up on her face.

“I may or may not have some footage of last night that I still didn’t show anyone, wanna see what your drunken ass did?” She was almost laughing when Martin took the phone from her hand and started one of the numerous videos…

Well now he understood why he was still this exhausted.


	4. Chapter four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry for a pause this long but some personal things happened and i couldn't work much on this chapter! I hope you'll like it still! Good reading session (^w^)!

The first video showed a shaky scene: everyone, except for Tokyo, was dancing to the song of an old vinyl he remembered they left at the monastery. 

Even if he couldn’t call what they did as dancing.

Nairobi was with Helsinski and they were both moving energetically together, sometimes the big guy picking up his friend to make her laugh harder.

Denver and Monica were slowly dancing, pressed lovingly against each other with their eyes closed to appreciate the moment.

He saw in a flash Marsella dancing by himself before perceiving a glimpse of the small animal in his arms.

There also was the inspector and the professor trying to dance in rhythm but failing miserably, with the biggest smiles on their faces.

And then he heard the laugh of Tokyo coming from the video, the source outside what the recording showed.

Suddenly the screen turned to a blur before he appeared on it.

He was dancing, he knew that, but he was drunk and the movement he made were so weird he couldn’t quite call it a dance. He remarked Berlin drinking a glass of something and snickering with Tokyo, looking at him.

Then a muffled shout coming from, he guessed, Denver stopped everyone.

“The floor is lava!”

At this everyone started to climb on the table and the chairs, Bogota who was already seated on one just put his feet on the table while sipping on his beer. 

Raquel visibly decided to sacrifice her boyfriend as she climbed on him, laughing manically.

Marsella, on his part, was simply seated on the edge of the table, holding Sophia close to him and speaking softly to her. The couple was standing just behind him, Denver laughing his signature laugh at the speed of everyone until a thump brought all of them to silent.

The image of the video shifted to him. He visibly let himself fall face first on the ground.

A voice, the same as the one who started the game asked “Someone want some more booze?”

It was quickly followed by a chorus of cheers, including his, for more alcohol before the screen turned to black.

Well, now he knew why his nose bled.

Back to the present, Tokyo and Berlin were giggling while leaning each on a different side of a grimacing Palermo.

“I don’t remember you showing me those move!” teased Berlin. That made the face of Martin go redder by the second.

“There’s still two other videos you know?” Tokyo said with a tiny grin. Martin looked at her like a man sentenced to death finally accepted his fate.

“I’m aware…”

He grumbled as he started playing the second video.

The screen was hold by someone else, as he saw the young woman who was still laughing at him on it.

He then remarked the bottle spinning in the middle of the circle made by everyone and recognized the game they had been playing.

On the recording, the bottle stopped and it was the turn of Monica who was clutching at her husband, giggling and drunk.

“So! Truth or dare??” Asked an as much drunk Nairobi.

Monica proceed to shout “Dare!” under the cheers of the rest of the group.

Nairobi seemed pensive for a few seconds until his own voice rose.

“You have to take a shot for every time you faked an orgasm with mister Denver here!”

Martin looked back to the present Monica who was trying to ignore what was said in the video to try feeding her son.

When he looked back she already had spun back the bottle with the biggest smug grin he ever seen.

Some turns passed, no one taking a truth until the bottle pointed to him.

He seemed drunk and sleepy, he surprisingly remembered the feeling of laziness he felt at his very moment even if he didn’t recalled the exact events. 

“Truth!” he replied sloppily to the interrogation of Helsinski.

They all searched what to ask until Bogota broke out the loud whispers with his strong but wavering voice.

“Since when you like Berlin? Because It’s obvious you like him!.” 

Everyone looked at him, on the screen and in reality, his own self being red with embarrassment in both situation. Even if in the video alcohol helped too.

Sergio and Raquel tried to not show their interest on the subject but failed, as they stopped their conversation when the question was asked.

Marsella didn’t look up from his lecture, but only because he knew. 

Monica tried to continue to make her little boy eat but failing with her attention elsewhere.

And Nairobi, who got up, rushed to where Martin was to peek over his shoulder to not miss anything.

He ignore the knowing smirk that Tokyo shared with Nairobi to concentrate again on the phone.

His past self was laughing hard, looking at the expecting eyes of the group that calmed him a tiny bit.

“Well, Berlin? How long have we known each other again?” he turned to the camera.

“A little more than ten years I think… you were there at my first marriage right?” Martin nodded, “Then ten years, more or less”

He looked back at Bogota “You have your answer!” 

But it didn’t seem a good enough reply to his old friend.

“No, not how long you knew him, how long you loved him!”

“But I just told you!” Past-Martin answered a new time, his head tilted in a faked confused frown.

The information was processed by Bogota’s brain until he let a long noise of comprehension.

Until he remembered something.

“But… you were his best man for all his weddings?”

“Yep”

Bogota seemed confused.

“But you never ever told him?”

“Nope”

He looked more and more confused as the seconds passed until Martin decided he didn’t have the energy to continue and spin the bottle, only for it to stop at Nairobi.

They all seemed to forget what happened a moment ago and continued their games with stupid dares and truths.

The video stopped when Monica was dared to drink an entire bottle of tequila and succeed.

Before he could think of anything, Nairobi spoke up with a grin.

“Well, I didn’t know if it was a dream or not but it seems it’s was what truly happened!”

Tokyo followed all while snickering.

“I’m glad my reserve of embarrassing moments is growing with more materials of the new members of the band!”

When Martin turned to look at Berlin, he had fond eyes that only made him blush harder.

He returned to the phone with the last recording and hoped it wasn’t something too bad.

He clicked and was met with a black screen and loud sob.

Loud sob that he recognized immediately.

Because it was his own sob.

He didn’t hesitate an instant to close the video and the phone before pocketing it.

An outraged noise from Nairobi and Tokyo followed his way outside the room in the direction of his chamber.

The attention he gave to the videos finally dissipated, he remembered the tingling in his eyes, obviously due to the cries of the previous night he was going to be a witness of.

He locked the door to make sure none of the girls tried to know what was on the recording and started to walk toward his bed.

After sitting on it he took back the phone, opening the last video.

The screen was black, the loud sob filling the entirety of his room.

Then his own shaking voice started to talk.

“He was my everything! Nothing can compare to how I feel for him! He was like my light, my oxygen, the reason I woke up every morning… but for him I was only the best friend! He always could counted on me and I always could counted on him, but if he asked... Oh! If he asked! I would have given him the world, all the gold of the universe, the star and the moon, and I would have given him my heart on the way…” 

He didn’t like the feeling that started to creep up in his chest as his lamentations continued to be recorded.

“But he never asked, always proposing to women, only months or even just weeks after meeting them to marry him. And everytime he broke up a little more of him despaired but if he just looked! Everytime he was hurt I was so much hurt too!”

He gulped and frowned. He seriously drank too much to say things like that with whoever was his interlocutor.

“And- and- and, before going with Sergio for the plan of the mint, he came to me. He told me he loved me, was his soulmate and everything but-but-but he also said he couldn’t because he didn’t love me that way and-and-and then we fucking made out!”

He begun to recall that night, and he hated every seconds of that.

“And fuck, if it wasn’t the best moment of my life! It was like god himself descended from heaven to bless me, like everything was right for the first time, like I just saw colors for the first time, like the world finally started to turn right! Like everything that hurted me before just disappeared! 

He hated the fact that he remembered the feeling so well, almost as much as the tears that started to come back filling his eyes.

“But… the worst moment of my fucking existence just followed.”

And he didn’t want to hear any of it again but he couldn't pause, he was like frozen.

“He told me it was truly impossible, and he told me he couldn’t stay and he just left! He was my everything but he took back everything and I was empty again, what was colorful became black and white again and god himself just laughed at me. Maybe he thought I would just get up and heal but I couldn’t. I left like he asked me. But I just, stopped… I wasn’t myself anymore, just a shadow, an empty body. My sun left me and I tried to fill myself with booze, pain and drugs. Everyday it hurted but I didn’t want it to stop, cause it reminded me so much of him and-and-and…”

His tirade stopped at the soft humming of another voice, the camera moved abruptly as he saw himself moving a little, showing Helsinski.

He was falling asleep on the bigger man as he slowly caressed his hair.

“Shhh… it’s okay Palermo… it’s alright…”

After a few second a silhouette approached. Helsinski looked up and asked softly.

“Want to take him to his room?” 

“Yes” the shadow replied with a hint of sadness in the voice.

As the arms of Andrès took him under the shoulders and legs, the video stopped.

Martin continued to looked at the now black screen.

He didn’t know what to think of that, of him alone and drunk with a strangely lucid Helsinski.

Wait a minute.

Does he remember?

His face paled in a second as he got up on his feet to go and try intercepting the man before the other could ask him anything.

He looked in the empty room of the serbian, in the communal bathroom and the garden before heading back in the dining room.

And he was there.

He arrived silently as Nairobi started to ask Helsinski if he remembered anything from the night prior.

Before the bear-like man could answer he saw Palermo, silently begging him with his eyes to not say a thing.

He thought he didn’t saw him but the reply of the man was negative.

He sighed in relief and turned back to the phone, still in his hand.

None of this will see the light of day again.

He deleted the incriminating images before entering the room for the second time, walking back to Tokyo to toss her phone back to her.

She tried to find the videos but she quickly realized what he had done.

He smirked and winked at her annoyed pout as he served himself another cup of coffee.

Denver who just arrived had a confused look and was about to ask what happened when Monica put a hand on his arm and smiled to silence him.

Everyone ate in a good mood, forgetting the little incident of the morning to concentrate on the lessons of the professor.

After a long day, a good dinner and a long shower, Martin was heading finally back to his room, walking in the direction of his welcoming bed.

But as he thought he finally could sleep, he heard a soft knock.

He thought it was on the door of one of his neighbor until the knock came back, louder.

Finally, martin got up to open the door, only to see the hairy face of Helsinski.

He looked up. “Uh, yes?”

“Can I come in?” the tone of the visitor was soft, almost a murmur and he found himself unable to say no as the serbian entered the room.

“I’m sorry to bother you this late, Palermo.” Martin was closing the door and making his way to a nearby chair.

“It’s alright, why are you here anyway?”

“I just wanted to ask you something.” Helsinski turned to face Martin.

“Can you explain what happened last night when you cried about Berlin?”

Shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It finally starting to take the way i wanted it to go, yaaay! Again sorry for the absence, but i hope you liked the chapter! The next one should come way faster! So, have a good day! (b>wO)b


	5. Chapter five

The day had been long for the Argentinian and all he wanted right now was to sleep, not thinking about any of his problems or of the heist he has been planning for so long and could be the very last thing he ever did.

But sadly, Helsinki wasn’t having it.

He wanted to talk.

About Andrès.

Martin gulped and tried to think of an answer to the question of the serbian as he shifted in his seat.

“Well, it’s nothing much big guy, don’t worry about it too much.” he tried to look into the caring eyes of the taller man without success. Such a soft and worried look for him. He didn’t deserve it, he thought.

Helsinki frowned slightly and walked slowly closer to Martin, sitting in a chair near him.

“Please, I just want to help you, Palermo. I don’t want some accident happening because there was bad blood between you and him.” he placed his large hand on the smaller one of martin, reassuring him.

Martin glanced away, still refusing to meet the gaze of the other man, but his mind racing.

Should he tell him? Was it really this important for the plan to work perfectly?

‘Of course’, the answer was that simple. He had to. He couldn’t just risk everyone if in the middle of the bank he started an argument with Andrès over something like that. None of them deserved that. But it was still so hard.

He sighed and looked in the eyes of the bear-like man fearing judgment or mockery.

But he only saw patience and an acceptance of everything he would say to him and so, so supportive. It almost hurted.

He finally gave him a small, unsure smile.

“Alright…” he straighten his posture and faced a little more his friend. “Andrès and me, it’s a long story. But I remember the first time I met him. One of the worst and best day of my life!” he chuckled as a smile creeped up on Helsinki's face.

“I knew I was doomed the moment he smiled at me.” He still smiled, but it was a little more bitter now, the joyous look of Helsinki disappeared to let a strange sadness in it’s place.

“From that moment I loved him, adored him even, but he only saw a friend. For all the times his heart shattered because of some woman, I was there to pick them up, whispering in my head ‘I’m here! I can love you like they can’t! I can give you everything you want if you ask me! ‘ but I never said that to him.”

He started shaking softly, his voice quivering as he felt his eyes burning with despaired tears that he didn’t want to let flow in front of the other man.

“I didn’t dare hoping for it. But I knew that even if I couldn’t be loved like I loved him, I could still show him, I could still give him all the attention he craved, all the diamonds he dreamed of, all the gold we promised each other. But he got married a fifth time, and it happened.”

He closed his eyes, trying to chase those memories far away in that dark place in his mind, reserved exclusively for them, without any positive result. He still heard the harsh yet true words Andrès spat at him, the cold stare of the man he never stopped loving, the most wonderful and atrocious kiss of his entire existence.

He realized he couldn’t continue, as he heard his own sob and tears pouring down his cheeks.

He felt the strong arms of Helsinki wrapping around him as he buried his face in the chest of the serbian.

It felt like years, but only few minutes passed when he heard a soft lullaby coming from the taller man. Strangely enough, he calmed himself but stayed close to his friend until the end of the delicate song came.

When finally he felt that there were no more tears flowing from his eyes, he pulled away, giving a small smile to Helsinki.

“Thanks, I needed that…” his voice was a little sore from the crying and he felt the marks the tears traced on his face as he tried to formulate what he should say next.

“It was in the evening, he had a date at the restaurant with Tatiana, his wife at the time, but he came to me to talk about something before.” he gulped and looked for a reassurance on the face of the bigger man that he found quite easily.

“We flirted a little, or I think it was flirting, and we kissed. It was just… Horrible.” A frown appeared on Helsinki, and martin understood why, he didn’t say that last night. He tried to explain.

“The act in itself was, unexpected to say the least, and magnificent. It was like it rained for the first time in a desert that never knew water, like a fire started in the middle of the worst blizzard of history, like God himself said ‘Come on now, buddy, you can do what you dreamed of doing for over a decade! ‘” he chuckled sourly.

“But it was nothing for him. I still don’t understand why he accepted it but… that’s why it was horrible.”

His friend seemed to understand the feeling but the words he next said to Martin made him pale.

“That’s the reasons for those scars, then?”

Martin was frozen. Of fucking course he would see the scars, he wasn’t just the muscles of the group, he was their heart too. But he wasn’t ready for that conversation. Not now.

He looked at the ground, avoiding Helsinki’s eyes, which were full of the tooth rotting sweetness.

“It’s alright martin, you don’t have to say anything. But know that if you need anything my door is always open.” The rough voice was so soft, even softer than his own mother voice.

But now that he thought about it.

“Well, in all honesty, I had a question.” Helsinki hummed, prompting Martin to give him his question.

“What would you do if you were in my place?” That made the bigger man freeze.

“Well, if I fell in love with someone at first sight, knew I didn’t have a chance, then mess up because of what the other guy did to me and, finally, I had a chance at a relationship with him… I would surely take it, I think. But not every case are the same.”

The soft light coming from the light bulb was hugging the silhouette of the serbian, leaving a strange sadness coming off of him, like he knew what martin was feeling.

“I don’t think Berlin is good to have as a partner.” Martin’s heart sank, it was true. He saw it first-hand with all the women who tried to love Andrès but failed, finding him too possessive or too easily angry. “He’s too passionate, he don’t take his time to form the base of his relationships. And he’s also selfish in a way, easily jealous and angered.”

Martin knew all that, but his heart didn’t care.

“But if he change for you, I think you should try.” Martin looked up, meeting Helsinki’s eyes, seeing some strange and mixed emotions.

They both stayed liked this, smiling like idiots in love. But, in his own world, Martin didn’t remarked the pinch of bitterness in the gaze of his friend.

Helsinki finally got up and gave a smaller smile to Martin “We should both go to sleep, I don’t think the professor will like it if we show up tomorrow looking like zombies!”

The Argentinian laughed softly and got up, giving a tight hug to his friend before greeting him good night.

Once finally alone, Martin sighed and let himself fall on his large bed, spreading his long limbs over the sheets like a starfish and burying his face in the soft cushions.

After some minutes, he growled and turned on his back abruptly, his gaze fixed on an invisible point and frowning, like every problem he had was because of his ceiling.

What should he do? Helsinki was right about Andrès, he was selfish, impatient and often he was simply toying with his lovers, but he told him he would change.

Right?

He told him, didn’t he? He was almost sure…

He sit up, concentrating on all the moments they shared since their reunion, but Andrès never said anything about trying to get better for him.

However he remembered very well all the moments when Andrès would hug him from behind or reach for his hand or cheek.

Well, it stayed within what he could do. Right?

Did Andrès really cared about those rules he made for him?

Wasn’t he just acting like nothing happened?

Like he didn’t broke his heart?

He felt an old bitterness appear deep within his chest as he wondered if Andrès really cared about him, about them. If all that wasn’t just a cruel plot to not stay alone all his life because he knew Martin would adore him for the rest of his existence.

He dived in his bed again, burying himself beneath the layers to try and erase himself from this world, to just stop feeling.

Then he remembered the bottle of alcohol on the table.

But when he started to open it, he realized what was happening.

But it didn’t stop him.

And he started drinking again.

__________

He remembered his first few day on the boat with everyone, before the abbey.

It was hard since for the previous three years he was drinking almost everyday, but his new friend helped him greatly.

Raquel and Sergio would start to talk about many thing, the police, the plan, or even engineering if Sergio felt like it.

But Denver would also try but his own topics of conversations resumed to sport, until they started to talk about music. That day he learned about Moscow.

And Monica! Sweet and motherly, always trying to find things for him to do, to occupy his hands from his itching writs. And her son, not comprehending everything, would ask to draw with him.

And the girls, he loved them! Well, Tokyo maybe a little less, but still. They loved pranks, and he loved those too. A good match for them, but not so much for the poor professor.

But he also liked the comfortable silence there would be between him and Helsinki, late in the night when the nightmares liked to show themselves and the bottles looked even more tempting.

And strangely enough, the origin of those bad habits, of the nightmares, of the marks, Andrès would appease his mind. When he sat close to him during dinner, leaving his hand on his shoulder or his knee, he knew there wouldn’t be any problem to sleep or temptation to go to the bathroom and take the razor.

But tonight no one was there to stop him from doing anything.

So he drank.

He discovered more bottles in a crate in one of the corners of the room.

Wine, some of the finest drink Andrès bought.

He didn’t hesitate another second.

__________

Sergio was a simple man, really.

He loved his girlfriend and her daughter like she was his. He also loved his brother despite some moments. But he truly hated when things didn’t go as planned.

Like this morning.

They were meant to learn about the plan of the building with all the entries, but one of them wasn’t here.

Of course he knew that he must have already memorized everything a few years prior but a reminder was always good.

That’s why when they were all in class and everyone loudly remarked the absence of Palermo, he simply sighed and started making his way to his room.

Once he was in front of the door he knocked hard enough to make the dust of the door fly around him.

He waited, trying to control the starting anger from exploding on the face of the other man.

But a minute passed and nothing. He knocked once again but after a few time he still didn’t receive an answer, he decided to stick his ear to the door to try and guess what was doing Martin.

He stayed completely silent for a few minutes when he finally perceived a whimper.

He suddenly opened the wooden door to find the engineer on the floor sitting, his knees close to his chest and his arm surrounding his legs.

A frown appeared on his face as he approached, making sure he didn’t slide on one of the bottle surrounding Martin.

When he was finally near him, he sat close enough to surround his shoulder with his arm in a side-way hug but far enough to still see clearly the face of his friend.

“Martin, are you okay?” A simple question, easy enough to answer no matter the state of the interlocutor.

He saw his friend shifting, slowly raising his head and showing red rimmed and tired eyes.

“Yes, now go away…” he looked away, refusing to stare back in the eyes of Sergio.

The professor was a very smart man, no one who met him could say otherwise.

He knew science and history, he was strong and cultivated, but he always lacked experience in one subject.

Human contact.

Not only in the physical sense, but also the emotional one (even if Rachel helped him in some way).

So when he was looking at his sobbing friend, drunk and miserable, he didn’t know how to proceed.

So he concentrated.

First thing first, sober him up. He had few questions martin had to answer for him since he didn’t touch a bottle for the past few weeks.

As he hauled his friend up he wondered if he had talked with someone the previous night.

Was it Berlin?

The thought almost made him trip on his feet, blaming a bottle when martin asked.

__________

Once he was cleaner, a sharper look in his eyes and a cup of coffee in his hands, he sat next to him on the bed.

The second step was talking, and he wasn’t a fan of that.

“Hummm…” he looked in the direction of his friend. Like a band-aid, he said to himself, in one go-

“I talked to Helsinki and realize I didn’t know if Berlin liked me like one of his wife or if he’s more serious this time and I got back to my miserable state. Thanks for the coffee.”. He drank a long sip, as Sergio looked at him, smiling.

“Well, I thought it would be harder to make you talk!”

“The one thing you can’t be envious about your brother is the obstinacy, I just decided I was too tired for this shit.” he responded with a smile and another sip.

Sergio got up, walking to the door.

“Well I guess you’re right. You can take the morning off but you have to come back to learn the new securities installed there this afternoon.” he waved his hand at Martin who responded with a nod.

__________

He walked through the corridors, slowly, thinking.

Step three, finding a new place in the plan for Palermo outside the bank and away from Berlin.

He sighed and went to reopen the door of the classroom, then he stopped at the entry.

“What’s happening here!?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, i didn't expect myself to take so long for this chapter, but i had some computer problems! I'm really sorry! I hope you liked it and this time i swear the next chapter should be posted sooner! Again, i hope you'll appreciate this chapter and you'll like the rest of the story! ( Ow<)/


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